Saturday, November 28, 2009

The Christmas Season has begun!

We celebrated our Thanksgiving day with my parents and my sister and her husband, Cory. :) We all went to my mom's house. I took some homemade rolls...that I had rising on the stovetop while my baked corn cooked...*not* a good idea. It made the rolls rise too fast and precooked the bottoms. When I uncovered them after *rising* time...they all deflated! *Ack!* Luckily, they were still edible. We all had a good laugh over it at my mom's! :) I also took peanut butter pie for dessert that we took to my aunt and uncle's house later in the evening.

My sleepy love........Xavier got a snooze, nestled in to Uncle Cory while waiting for supper.....

What do you do when grammie makes a pie? You play with the dough and flour of course! :)

Xavier and Jaxson playing blocks and legos with Uncle Cory....

We shared a delicious meal together with all the fixin's! We are so blessed to have the things we do and to be able to enjoy such a wonderful meal together! Madelyn made us each little placecards as well!

It was an enjoyable but exhausting day! :) I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving as well.

Last night, our small town had a *Light Up Night* Parade in town. With help from a couple of our cousins, my sister and my dad got the back of the truck all ready...lights, tree, electric fireplace, stocking, faux gifts and even a rug!

It was cold out....the kids were in layers with their pajama's to sit on the rug on the back of the truck and throw candy. We brought afghans too so they could each wrap in them. Then...it started snowing!!! As beautiful as the snow was....it made everyone wet...and even more chilly! Faces and hands were freezing...my children's & mine too!

At first, Jaxson had fun trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue (above)...but as they got covered in lots of snow as they waited in the parade line up...it lost its appeal! They were such troopers!

They snuggled in little balls under their afghans as they started through town...peeking up a bit to throw candy out to onlookers!

Luckily, they were towards the beginning of the parade...so as soon as they were done...we took the boys and snuggled them into their seats in the van and got them buckled. Poor lil Jax was sooo cold and cried the whole way home! Madelyn took her overnight bag and went with my mom for a sleepover last night! :)

My hands started to thaw out on the drive home. The boys were still super cold though....so we came home, stripped off wet clothes and I gave them a warm bath. After getting into some warm jammies and making some hot chocolate....we snuggled together and read some books before daddy took them to bed and tucked them in for the night. :)

We did some Christmas decorating around our home today. I am a *simple* holiday decorator. I like to just add a few touches to make the season *decorated* yet *simple*. I hung a wreath on the chicken coop....I love how that little wreath just makes the coop look so festive! (And wouldn't a Christmas card that says "Merry Christmas from Our Coop to Yours!" be entirely *perfect* for this picture???? :) .....

And....for the first year, ever, I did not get a real Christmas tree. I love the smell of them...but whenever I decorate them I get hives and I must confess that I am *not* a fan of the continual need to sweep up pine needles.

The boys wanted to see the lights and ornaments looking up from the bottom ;)......

I yearn for a simple and lovely Christmas season while keeping the focus on the *reason* for the season...which is the celebration of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ!

So we got a simple pencil tree and decorated it with while lights and some ornaments. A bow and angel grace the top of the tree. I love the look of the ends of the bow cascading down the tree.

I did some rearrangements in my dining room to make everything work with the new tree...that I actually hope to keep up all year and decorate to celebrate each season if I can....

I know this was a long post and if you have made it the whole way to here, I thank you for taking the time to share in this all with me! :) I have housework waiting to be done and laundry to be folded and put away. I hope you are staying warm as winter arrives in all it's freezing glory! ;)

Before I go...I just want to say that I was reading Psalm 103 the other day, I feel by the Lord's leading, and it is a really beautiful chapter to read. He forgives, heals, redeems and satisfies. He is gracious, compassionate and slow to anger. He is abounding in pure love and He is merciful.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.(vs.11-12)

If you belong to God....know His love for you is from everlasting to everlasting. He knows you better than anyone else. He does not sit in endless anger over you. I know some feel that way. I used to. I thought I could never please Him. That is the furthest thing from the truth. He has compassion for us...

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him: (vs.13)

...and this was written by David...who lived before Christ. This was before saving grace entered into the world. How much more difficult it must have been to live back then...and yet God loved with an unfathomable love and had compassion! How much more He must now! Those of us who live covered by the blood of a Savior...how truly blessed we are to know the Creator and have the Holy Spirit living within us! Remember to keep praising Him, seeking Him, loving Him and He will guide your steps! He is righteous and just and will always have your best interests at heart....even when we don't understand. His ways are not our ways....but He is the Ultimate Good. Live in trust. Have faith. Please remember this as you begin this Christmas season!

13 comments:

Good stuff, Katy! And great pics, too! Hey, have you thought about using that chicken coop pic for a card for next year? It's a GREAT idea, girl! If you start in January....LOL....you could have them done by this time next year! (I'm a card stamper myself, so the chicken coop idea appeals to me on a different level!) And I enjoy reading what you write! :DBlessings! Sue

Cute pictures all around. Glad you has such an enjoyable Thanksgiving. I can hardly believe it's time to get ready for Christmas! Sheesh. Your tree is beautiful. I've had the same fake tree since Juss and I moved in together. :) Stinks you're allergic to the real ones. I'm allergic to cardboard!! hahaha Think about me trying explaining that to family and friends. From pizza boxes to gift packaging. Have a great rest of the weekend. Hope to hear from you soon.

What a beautiful post, as always, I enjoy my visit. Your tree does look so warm and pretty. The Christmas card with chicken coop; splendid idea, and you can print your own from photobucket or shutterfly.

Been in the same boat with the rising bread thing, from time to time, I forget about our pizza dough being in a warm oven to rise and will turn the oven up and when I remember it's in there usually it comes out with a crusty top... still beats buying pizza out.

Katy, this is a wonderful post! It looks like Christmas has already arrived in your town. And snow even!I love your tree and the wreath on the chicken coop. Yes, it would make a sweet holiday card! But I love your simple ideals even more. I share those with you. I strive everyday to make our lives more simple.And I must say that your Mom has the same dishes as me! I love my dishes and use them everyday. I will switch to my Christmas set soon though. Have a great week!

Your tree is beautiful! I really like how the bow sparkles in the lights...looks great! Also, as soon as I saw the place cards, I gave a little sigh in memory of when I used to do the same as a child...where does time go??? Im glad you had a blessed thanksgiving with your family!

I love all of your photos. I had to quit getting real trees when my youngest daughter was little. We realized that as soon as we brought one in, she struggled with allergies until we took it down. The pencil tree looks beautiful.Blessings,Marcia

Katy, Would you believe that I always put up a live tree, but this year decided to borrow a tree from my Mother-in-law, a PENCIL tree! :) Can I just say, kindred spirit? :) Also, I needed to hear what you had to say at the end of your post, in fact, I'm going bk to read it again! God Bless!

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He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.~Isaiah 40:11

"The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest. "~ Thomas Moore

"Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality."~ Beatrix Potter

"The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only - and that is to support the ultimate career. "~ C.S. Lewis"The secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life, and in elevating them to art."~William Morris

"I have no faith in that woman who talks of grace and glory abroad, and uses no soap and water at home. Let the buttons be on the shirts, let the children's socks be mended, let the roast mutton be done to a turn, let the house be as neat as a new pin, and the home be as happy as home can be."